Omaha daily bee., 1887-11-18

Last evening the |. o. G.. L. had an
open meeting, or a Temperance rally"
at Dohany's opera house. The house
was well filed. Chief Templar O. L.
Barrett acted as chairman. The eXer-
cises opened with song and prayer by
the Rev. w. H. Rees, of the Broadway
Methodist church.
F.. r. Hutchins, of Des Moines, was
the first speaker. He thought it was a
good omen that in city where the pro-
hibitory law was openly defied that so
much interest in the work of enforce
ment was taken by its citizens. Council
Bluffs has shaken hands with the cities
upon the eastern boundary in defiance
of the law. This city has two lodges of
the order of |. O. G. 7. pledged to alb
stinence in personal habits and the en-
forcement of prohibition in the state,
and the residents here ought to be
thankful for this influence in their
midst. Its ritual states the OBJ
jects of this organization to be to re-
claim the fallen and save others from
falling. There are those here who
would and ought to give the order, with
its avowed objects, the most cordial sup
port. "Do you know how Iowa is re-
garded abroad?' In answer he said
prominent English clergyman had told
him that Iowa's splendid victory and
constant fight in the line of temper
ance reform had done more for the
cause Of temperance in England than
union combined.
give years ago the people in this
state decided by a majority of 10000
against the saloon, and every year
since then has reaffirmed that decision,
and as our governor has said so say |:
The child is yet unborn who shall wit
ness the repeal of the prohibitory law. ."
The speaker here went into the details
of the saloon work in the state and the
nation. In answer to the assertion that
prohibition does not prohibit, that
where it does prohibit it
ruins the city, he said: Both
statements are false. While it does
not stop selling and drinking absolutely
it does to large extent do so. All laws
are prohibitory. Those of the decalogue
world are so, but these all are constantly
broken. Why don't you ask that they
be repealed upon the basis of truth?'
He said there was not a single open saloon
in Des Moines, and there is more money
on deposit in the banks there from the
wage workers Of the city than there has
been during any five years under. license
law. If prohibition does not prohibit,
it is equally true that regulation does
not regulate. Minors and drunkards
can both buy whisky wherever license
law exists. Some people say the saloon
business is legitimate and ought to be
recalled. No business is legitimate
that does not furnish an
equivalent. That is principal of
political economy. The speaker re-
ferred to many lines of business activity
| showing the equivalent rendered for the
use of brains and capital, and then asked
| to be shown what thing benefiting soci-
| ETY. or the individual is the product of
| the saloon. IF the saloon is good
| thing, let us have it. Let the saloon
! keeper take that boy of yours and for
thirty days fill him up with beer, whisky
and rum, and then send him to the state
fair as Il product of his industry. Why
| don he do it?'
| He stated that more appeals came to
| him las commissioner of labor statistics
from the wage-workers for the enforce
ment of the prohibitory law than for
any other thing. In closing he made a
| strong appeal for enforcement in this
| city.